Account of some new Experiments, etc. 363 



Desirous of knowing how far the drying of wood 

 might be carried, I replaced them all in the stove, which 

 I heated as before, neither more nor less, for twelve 

 hours, and afterward left to cool slowly for twelve 

 hours. 



On taking out the shavings the next day, they had all 

 changed colour more or less ; from a yellowish-white 

 they had become light brown, dark brown, more or less 

 yellow, and some of a fine purple. 



Their weight, which was at first 10 grammes, was now 

 found to be 



Oak . . . .7.16 Cherry . . . 8.60 



Elm . . . 8.18 Linden . . . 7.86 



Beech . . . 8.59 (after having 



Maple . . . 8.41 been in the open air 



Ash .... 8.40 twenty-four hours) . 8.06 



Birch . . . 7.40 Male fir . . . 8.46 



Service . . . 8.46 Female fir . . . 8.66 



Wishing to know whether the wood might not be 

 reduced to charcoal by continuing the moderate heat of 

 the stove a long time, I took half the linden shavings, 

 which weighed 4.03 grammes, placed them in a china 

 saucer supported by a cylindrical earthen vessel 3 inches 

 in diameter and 4 inches high, put this on an earthen 

 plate, and covered it by a glass jar 6 inches in diameter 

 and 8 inches high. On the earthen plate was a layer of 

 ashes about an inch deep, serving to close the mouth of 

 the jar slightly. 



This little apparatus being placed in the stove, it was 

 heated a third time for twelve hours, and then left 

 twelve hours without fire, to cool gradually. 



On taking out the apparatus, I found that the wood 



